Generally, a typical electrical connector includes an insulating or dielectric housing defining some form of mating configuration for mating the connector with a complementary mating connector or other connecting device. For example, the connector housing may define a male or plug connector, or the connector housing may define a female or socket connector. The dielectric housing may be a standalone component, or it may be adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board, in a panel or in association with other mounting structures.
One or more conductive terminals are mounted on or in the connector housing. The terminals can have a very wide range of configurations depending on the use of the connector. However, the terminals typically have contact portions for engaging the contact portions of terminals in the complementary mating connecting device. One type of terminal is a stamped and formed terminal of sheet metal material, and such terminals may have a contact leg or blade of flat sheet metal material.
Some form of retention system must be employed to hold the terminals on or in the connector housing. The retention systems also vary widely. The terminals may be press-fit into terminal-receiving cavities, or the terminals may have latching portions for latching with complementary latches on the connector housing. One form of retention system involves overmolding a plastic housing about portions of the terminals to rigidify and hold the terminals on the housing.
One problem with overmolded terminals as described above concerns retaining the terminals on the housing when the housing does not completely embrace portions of the terminals. In other words, the dielectric housing may be of molded plastic material and have a mating portion defining a generally planar mating face of the connector. The terminals, such as stamped and formed sheet metal terminals, may have contact legs with faces generally flush with the mating face of the overmolded housing. Such terminals have a tendency to pull out of the housing, because the housing does not encapsulate portions of the terminals. For instance, a stamped and formed terminal may have a contact leg or blade which simply is embedded in the overmolded housing, with a contact face of the blade flush with the mating face of the housing, and the blade has no positive retention means to prevent it from pulling out of the housing during use. The present invention is directed to solving these problems in an electrical connector which includes a dielectric housing overmolded about metal terminals.